A century after its founding in 1919, scholars and the art-and-design interested public associate the Bauhaus with modernist architecture, sleek avant-garde design, and abstract painting by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, or László Moholy-Nagy. But the Bauhaus was much more than the work and lives of the famed few reveal. Perhaps least understood of all are the Bauhaus’s women, who made up over one third of its members. In the photography and experimental design of key Bauhaus women, we see a new side to this foundational movement of modern art, and reach a better understanding of the past to enable us to come to grips with what comes next.

Visions of human flourishing that developed in classical China are among the most complex in world philosophy. Focusing on the inter-relations between anthropology, history, philosophy, and religion, Michael Puett explores these visions in relationship to developments in recent Western thought. Puett places the study of China into larger historical and comparative frameworks, offering new perspective on what theories from classical China have to offer in contemporary discussions.

The push for independence in African nations was ultimately an incomplete process, with the people often left to wrestle with a partial, imperfect legacy. The various transitions to independence from Ghana to South Africa produced uneven results that do not fit neatly into narratives of “failure” or “success.” Decolonization in Africa unfolded as a tug of war between the leaders of protest movements and the defenders of European colonial rule, with violent repression defining the landscape and leaders often murdered or jailed. Living with tremendous loss, survivors forged on in continued hope, while custodians of imperial domination pushed back. Rather than liberation in name alone, the ongoing struggle has been one for meaningful freedom.

Scholars have called The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) a “fratricidal war in Europe’s backwater.” The conflict became much more, galvanizing adversaries on the left and the right and serving as a prelude to the Second World War. More than 60 years later, that “war in Europe’s backwater” and its consequences still loom large in Spain and beyond. Because of its profound political, social and artistic influence, the war and the lessons learned from it still have much to teach us about how societies confront the crises that increasingly threaten civil society.

In the 21st century, space exploration transcends national boundaries and has the potential to bring humanity together. Scientific collaboration has transformed the rivalries of the Cold War era into a shared search for knowledge. Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission, will discuss how a degree in Japanese in addition to theoretical math and physics has given him a career advantage. Since the Japanese Space Agency is heavily involved in asteroid exploration, Lauretta has applied his humanities degree to establish a cross-cultural exchange program and effectively engage his Japanese colleagues. Space exploration is an activity for all humanity and forms a natural vehicle to foster international collaboration and understanding.